WASHINGTON — The Pentagon and the Vatican denied allegations of a rift as a result of Pope Leo XIV’s criticism of the Trump administration and a news report of a contentious meeting between a papal envoy and a top U.S. defense official.
In separate statements, the two sides professed an eagerness to get along, saying the meeting that occurred in January was frank but polite. The Defense Department issued a statement that said “we have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See.”
“The Apostolic Nunciature is grateful for the opportunities to meet and dialogue with government officials and others in Washington to discuss areas of mutual concern,” the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in Washington said in a statement.
The episode comes at a moment of friction between the Trump administration and the new pope. In a January address, Pope Leo made a plea for a more peaceful world order and offered oblique criticism of the U.S. days after a U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. “A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force,” he said.
He was even more pointed after President Donald Trump issued a social media threat against Iran that “a whole civilization will die tonight.” The pope called that threat “truly unacceptable.”
Those tensions were given further fuel this week after the Free Press reported that U.S. officials had pressured the Catholic Church to take Washington’s side in international affairs — and warned of dire consequences if it failed to do so.
The report said that in a January meeting, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby had delivered the warning to Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who served as the apostolic nuncio in Washington until his retirement in March.
Both sides confirmed the meeting between Pierre and Colby, who has said in public speeches that he’s Catholic and has hailed Pope Benedict XVI as an inspiration. But they rejected the idea that it was contentious.
The apostolic nunciature, which represents the Holy See in Washington, did not characterize the Jan. 22 meeting, saying only that the two sides “discussed current affairs.”
But the Trump administration pushed back, calling the report “grossly false and distorted.” It said the meeting was “substantive, respectful, and professional.”
Trump’s ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, also denied a rift. “Cardinal Pierre has been a regular interlocutor since my nomination,” he wrote. “When we disagree, we have done so with sincerity and respect. I believe the same could be said of his January meeting with Undersecretary Colby.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made his Christian faith central to his leadership of the Pentagon, instituting a voluntary monthly prayer service and invoking God to justify and support military operations.
During a March news conference about the U.S. war against Iran, Hegseth said from the Pentagon podium: “May the Lord grant unyielding strength and refuge to our warriors, unbreakable protection to them and our homeland, and total victory over those who seek to harm them.”
